studying morning glories

our ‘heavenly blue’ morning glory tower is finally hitting it’s peak. the color is amazing.  here’s what i’ve been studying:

serenbe

driving home from callaway gardens, we decided to stop by

serenbe

for lunch and a driving tour. while unable to thoroughly explore, we still came away with a good feeling, but maybe it had to do with the cupcakes from

this joint

.

serenbe has received no shortage of

press

. it is an intentional community outside of atlanta with a mix of new construction and shared open spaces. a small "town" exists and on the day we visited we passed folks out on horses, running on the woodland paths, and people just sitting outside the local cafe enjoying their cool drink (it was a hot day...).

we were happy to finally try this spot:

while it now has a new owner, it was originally started by

this friend

of ours.

we loved the donkey in our cupcake:

then, we found a footpath that led from town straight into the woods:

and finally, on our brief tour, we loved the customized speed limit and stop signs:

cajun boiled peanuts

woohoo, it's finally peanut season here!  it seems like everywhere you go you can pick up some freshly harvested green peanuts.  yesterday it was rainy and gloomy, a perfect day for putting boiled peanuts on the stove and letting them cook away.

i made some cajun boiled peanuts this time.  they were quite flavorful but i wish that they were a little more spicy.  next time i might add some more hot peppers.

recipe

2 pounds green peanuts (not roasted!)

1/2 cup cajun seasoning salt

8 cloves of garlic

2 jalepenos or more if want some spicy ones

directions

wash and rinse the peanuts.  put in a large saucepan or slow cooker and cover with water.  add the seasoning salt, garlic, and peppers.  slowly bring to a boil and let them cook for a couple of hours or until the peanuts are soft.

i think that they taste the best cruising through the southern countryside....

fall beauty...fall sale

our annual fall sale is tomorrow, saturday 25 from 9 am to 4pm.  come by and help us celebrate fall!

at the studio

...450 georgia dr in athens

drawing pokeberries

Pokeberries are so pleasing in all their stages. I constantly admire them,study them, and draw them. tune in to their beauty here.

cotton's progress

my cotton looks great.  lots of big white bolls.  as the days grow shorter, the fat brown cotton bolls start to open up and the cotton puffs out.  here’s a look…

victory garden- south

picking up on our journey around

callaway gardens

from last week, we also wanted to share images from their huge 7 acre vegetable garden. known both as

mr.cason's vegetable garden

and also as

the victory garden- south

, it covers a large open site in the middle of callaway gardens.

it is the southern location for the filming of the long-running PBS show,

the victory garden

. there are outbuildings, functional sheds and compost bins, and row upon row of veggies, herbs, fruit trees, and flowers.

seasonal splendor

ingredients:

beautyberry's, castor plant, coleous, marigolds, dog fennel, and cotton.

brunswick stew

this past weekend we went over to a friend's house for a soup party.  she made 3 different soups and we sat out on the front porch and watched the sun go down.  it inspired me to make a big batch of brunswick stew.  it is normally served as a side to collard greens and BBQ.

recipe

1 yellow onion

1 can of tomatoes

2 cups of broth

1 1/2 cups of lima beans

2 small potatoes

2 carrots

1 1/2 cups corn

1 pound of meat;  rabbit, squirell, chicken, pork, ...or i used a meat substitute to make it vegetarian

1 tablespoon tabasco

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

chop up the veggies and throw them into a slow cooker and let the stew cook all day.